Key takeaways:
- North Carolina Republicans voted to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of a 12-week abortion ban.
- The bill severely restricts abortion access in the state, and is expected to take effect in the coming weeks.
- Reproductive rights advocates have argued that the ban is unconstitutional and will put women’s health and safety at risk, and have vowed to challenge the law in court.
North Carolina Republicans Override Governor’s Veto on 12-Week Abortion Ban
On Tuesday, North Carolina Republicans successfully voted to override Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of a 12-week abortion ban, paving the way for the restriction to become law. The Senate voted 30-20 and the House voted 72-48, confirming that the state’s Republican supermajority had the power to override Cooper’s veto.
The bill severely restricts abortion access in the state, which was one of the last to have access in the region since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. All four Republicans whom Cooper had eyed as possible swing votes — state Reps. Tricia Cotham, John Bradford and Ted Davis Jr., as well as state Sen. Michael V. Lee — voted in favor of the abortion ban.
In response to the vote, Governor Cooper said, “Forward is the only way ahead, but I know one thing for certain, standing in the way of progress right now is this Republican supermajority legislature that only took 48 hours to turn the clock back 50 years on women’s health.”
The 12-week abortion ban is expected to take effect in the coming weeks. It will make it illegal for a woman to receive an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for medical emergencies and cases of rape or incest.
The override vote has been met with criticism from reproductive rights advocates, who argue that the ban is unconstitutional and will put women’s health and safety at risk. They have vowed to challenge the law in court.
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